The invention concerns a passenger compartment for a passenger car, with reinforcement elements in at least two opposite side doors and with a transverse stiffener arranged in the region of the seats.
From the German Patent Document 28 16 318, it is known to provide the seats of a passenger compartment and the central tunnel between the two seats with transverse stiffeners. Reinforcement elements are arranged at the level of these transverse stiffeners in the side doors.
An object of the invention is to ensure adequate occupant safety in the case of lateral deformations in a passenger compartment of the type mentioned above with a limited availability of lateral space.
This object is achieved according to preferred embodiments of the invention in that a force-transmitting side member is arranged as the reinforcement element in each of the side doors and in that a force-transmitting seat crossmember, on which at least one seat is fastened, is supported so that it is longitudinally displaceable between the two side members. This seat crossmember therefore accepts lateral impact forces in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle occupants. Because of the longitudinally displaceable support of the seat crossmember, this "protection zone" always remains in the same position relative to the vehicle occupant even if the seat crossmember, and therefore the seats, are displaced. The arrangement between the two side members permits lateral impact forces to be accepted on the respectively opposite side member. Lateral impact forces are therefore initially accepted by the first side member, then by the seat crossmember and, by means of the latter, by the second side member. This concept makes it possible to design even narrow and restricted passenger compartments with adequate safety.
In a development of the invention, a stiff shell is provided for the at least one seat. This provides additional occupant protection.
As a further development of the invention, a support element extending over the length of the seat and parallel to the seat crossmember is arranged in the region of the seat back of the at least one seat. This support element is particularly advantageous where the seat itself is not configured as a stiff shell.
As a further development, stiffening elements are provided at the level of the support element in the region of the two side doors. By this means, a second "protection zone for the occupants, similar to the first "protection zone" resulting from the two side members and the seat crossmember, is formed in the region of the seat back. Because the support element is arranged on the seat, this "protection zone" is displaced with each displacement of the seat.
As a further development of the invention, at least two seats are arranged offset relative to one another on the seat crossmember. By this means, mutual impact between the occupants is avoided in the case of a lateral impact. These seats are arranged adjacent to one another on the seat crossmember without a central tunnel but are offset relative to the center line of the seat crossmember.
As a further development of the invention, deformation elements are provided on both sides of the passenger compartment at the level of the seat position of an occupant. Because of the rigid seat connection on the seat crossmember and the arrangement of this seat crossmember between the two side members, the passenger compartment experiences a shorter deformation path in the case of a lateral impact. The lateral deformation elements are provided in order to compensate for the higher vehicle occupant acceleration forces occurring due to this shorter deformation path. These deformation elements absorb energy between the side wall of the passenger compartment and the occupants.
As a further development of the invention, a head protection element, which is arranged above the seat position of each occupant and which can be moved to one side at the level of the head of the occupant in the case of a lateral deformation of the passenger compartment, is provided for the at least one seat. In a further development, the head protection element is displaceably supported in the region of the roof of the passenger compartment and is connected to at least one actuation element which displaces the head protection element to the side in the case of a lateral impact. In normal driving operation, therefore, the head protection element, which has an energy-absorbing deformation element, is situated under the roof of the passenger compartment, where it impairs neither the sight nor the freedom of movement of the vehicle occupants. It is only in the case of a lateral impact that, in order to protect the head of the vehicle occupant, the head protection element is displaced sidewards between the passenger compartment wall and the head of the occupant.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.